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Flags from FreeRepublic.com |
=== Updated ===>> Sententious Thoughts |
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I must also tell you that, upon investigation, 97.45% of the complaints have been traced, directly or indirectly, to The Navigator. Of course the primary perpetrator follows his usual modus operandi and denies everything.
The trips will be planned in a general way - we'll have a mapped route and goals for the trip. However, since we never know what might be down a side road or over the next hill, there isn't a rigid itinerary or certain number of miles we must drive each day. Thus, if going off on a tangent seems like a good idea, then so be it. Which brings me to the guiding philosophy of these trips:
Honesty compels me to tell you right up front that I've received a lot of complaints about this web site. You have my promise that I treat all complaints very seriously and always seek an equitable resolution. If you have a complaint, no matter how minor, please start the ball rolling by visiting the Drivetrips Complaint Resolution Department here.
Right up front
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The trips we /have been/are/will be/ taking /have been/are/will be/ driving trips. The vehicle we use is explained below. The plan is to generally drive the backroads as much as possible although we may use the Interstate highways if that suits a goal of the trip. This will be a chance to explore our country.
Trip Philosophy
FWIW, this web site is hosted by Total Choice Hosting. I can recommend these guys with complete confidence. Low prices, 99.999999% uptime, excellent customer support, etc. Just tell them Charlie sent you :)
Oh, one more thing. Some pages will open in a new browser window when you click on the link. These links will be identified by a carat (sometimes called an up arrow) after the link name, like this^.
Note: Links to content outside this web site usually become inactive over time.
Believe it or not, The Navigator's name is Snoopy. He's small, black, furry and cuddly. That's him in repose, his favorite pose, over to the left. (You can click on the pix for a larger version.) That pix was taken at home. As you can see, he wants for little :)
Snoopy is a very good navigator as his sense of direction is almost always right. However, he and I occasionally get into raging arguments about the route. Snoopy is pretty much a "shortest distance between two points is a straight line" kind of navigator. I, on the other hand, some times prefer to take the road less traveled. This inevitably leads to a disagreement. Unfortunately for Snoopy, I can usually make short work of the disagreement by offering to let him drive. Although he can steer pretty well, he has difficulty reaching the brake pedal and accelerator. So this will end the disagreement. Fortunately for me, he seldom holds a grudge. And if he does I can usually "buy him off" with a Greenie^ :).
The Navigator insisted I include this thought in his section of this home page:
The Navigator, being the egomaniac he is, insisted on being first in these links. I explained to him that "Right up front," by its nature, needed to be first and that the rest of the links had to flow naturally. He grudgingly accepted that.
As you visit the trip pages you'll find that The Navigator is very mischievous and causes me all sorts of trouble. If I hear the sound of breaking glass or a loud explosion or smell smoke, it's usually The Navigator's fault. He says, "Oops!" a lot :)
If The Navigator were human (a thought that is far from comprehendable), his fav expression would be, "Here! Hold my beer and watch this!"
A very special thank you to the Drive Vacation Specialists in the Aiken, SC AAA office. They always go beyond the call of duty to help plan trips. Thanks!
The web pages on this site are written in Hyper Text Markup Language or HTML. I make no claims of being a HTML expert and I've needed lots of help in hacking together the HTML for this site.
Here are some web resources I've used:
HTML Tutorial^ <=== The best!
Since this web site is about taking driving trips, a domain name of drivetrips.net just made sense. (FWIW, drivetrips.com was already taken).
Domain name
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This web site will, of necessity, be very simple. No javascript, no serversides, no imbeded flash movies, no fancy stuff. Pretty much just straight text and pictures. Why? Because most of this site will be created while I'm on the road. And I'm on the road to enjoy this wonderful country of ours, not to be hunkered down over my notebook computer trying to debug a piece of javascript :) I'll also endeavor to keep the graphics small, brief and to the point. Fast loading pages and simplicity are the name of the game.
Web site philosophy
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The Navigator
09/26/2012, Note: Snoopy was euthanized on Tuesday, September 25, 2012. He was 15 years and four months old. Because Snoopy was such an integral part of these trips, I've decided to leave all references to him in tact. He was a great friend and companion. We traveled many thousands of miles together. RIP buddy.
Nice sentiment. Not very reflective of The Navigator, but nice, nontheless.
"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.
You are his life, his love, his leader.
He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart.
You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."
-Anonymous
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Effective July, 2007, our vehicle is a 2004 Ford Ranger XLT pickup truck fitted with a Palomino B-600 truck camper. Pictures and more info will be posted later.
The vehicle
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Triple A^ has excellent maps, Trip Tiks, guide books, etc. Plus they'll fix a flat tire, put gas in your tank if you run out, and give you a jump if your battery runs down. I have found their minimal membership fee to be well worth it.
Resources
HTML Tutorial^ <=== The second best!
HTML Goodies^
Writing HTML^
The Barebones Guide To HTML^ <=== Down and dirty quickie.
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Many friends have contributed to the jokes and thoughts for the day on this site. In no particular order: JP, Stephanie, Denise, Linda in SC, Sue, Fools, June, Leo in NJ, Pat, various FReepers from Free Republic, Bill, Ralph in SC, Geri, Leo in KY, Elizabeth, Ralph in Moldova, Linda in KY, truckers and other folks I've spoken with at truck stops and some others I've forgotten (sorry :). I try whenever possible to give attribution to the contributor and to send them an email to let them know that their thought or joke has been used. To all the contributors: Thank you!
Credits
Ahhh, the perpetual question, "Why do you do this?" Actually, for me, the answer is quite simple. For the Navigator the answer is somewhat more complicated.
Why?
 The Navigator, when asked, said, "I take these trips with him because I have to. I mean, he gives me no choice. He tosses me into the truck and before I know what's happening we're in Osgosh someplace. But I suppose that's okay since the trips give me more time to do my fav thing, pictured at left."
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I, on the other hand, have a much more practical reason... The trips allow me to stop doing this for awhile.
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Several folks have emailed wanting to know the best way to view this website. After considerable time, research and several budget over runs, here is the definitive answer:
Viewing instructions
Seriously, this web site appears best if your screen is set to at least 1024 by 768 pixels resolution. If your screen is set to a lesser resolution, such as 800 by 600 pixels, some of the pages, including this one, will wrap. That's the way it goes.
This web site is built with the help of Firefox, the absolute best browser by far. This web site has been successfully tested using the Firefox, Opera, Netscape, Safari and Internet Explorer browsers. With the exception of IE, all the browsers work well. Some pages do not render properly in IE. This is because Microsoft, the author of IE, refuses to follow the HTML standards with their browser. Complain to them, not me.
| At the end of the day, no fooling around, no more funny stuff, this web site is | 
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Critics of this web site (and they are legion) have said I make this offer as there is nothing here worth taking.
I've been retired since 1999. Taking trips like the ones documented here has been a dream of mine for many years. Looks like the dream is finally coming true :)
Okay, now that you're done retching and gaging over that pic, maybe you want to send me an email expressing your dismay or your outrage or your whatever. No problem. Those of you that know my private email address can use that. The rest of y'all can click here. Special note to the spammers and their voracious spiders: That Gmail (thanks Google!) address only works when we're on a trip and for a week or so afterwards. At other times you'll get a well deserved autoresponse.
* With the exception of one small, insignificant instance, a self.close() on this page..
Copyright notice
© 1937 Never. Absolutely nothing on this web site is copyrighted. You have full, unrestricted permission to take from this site as much as you want. Looting, plundering, ransacking, pillaging and ravaging this site is encouraged, even applauded. If you see something you like, please feel free to rip it off. Every visitor should leave with at least one memento.
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About me
I'm Charlie and I live in Aiken County, South Carolina^ (a very beautiful place!). That's the South Carolina flag to the left. You can click on it for an interesting history lesson.
Oh, wanna see a pix of me^? <==WARNING: Do not click this link within one hour of eating! You have been warned :)
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